FIFA ranking: Argentina stays steady after Messi’s farewell, Portugal climbs two spots amid Cristiano Ronaldo turmoil

It has been a week full of emotion in the international game. Lionel Messi said goodbye to the Argentina national team in a special week for the Albiceleste, while Cristiano Ronaldo went through a controversy with Portugal that has dominated the headlines.

Against that backdrop, the latest FIFA ranking was released on Wednesday, October 7, and it shows how both national teams stand after the international break.

Spain stayed at the top with 2,011.57 points after a strong run in the UEFA Nations League. Argentina held steady in second place with 1,972.80 after winning all three of their friendly matches, followed by France with 1,958.86 and England with 1,925.59. It is the first ranking update since the World Cup, and it follows the window that ran from late September into early October.

The biggest movement inside the top 10 came from Portugal. Despite the turmoil around Ronaldo, who left the national team’s camp after the team’s first two matches of the window, Portugal rose from seventh to fifth, with 1,807.69 points, moving ahead of Brazil, now sixth with 1,806.51, and Morocco, seventh with 1,805.34.

FIFA ranking: Full top 10

Belgium, the Netherlands, and Mexico complete the top 10, with no changes in their positions. The next official FIFA ranking will be published on November 18, after Portugal’s final two group games in the Nations League, against Denmark on November 14 and Wales later that month.

The latest ranking leaves Argentina in a strong position as it begins a new chapter without Messi, still second in the world and behind only Spain. Portugal, for its part, climbs to fifth in the middle of the most turbulent week of Ronaldo’s international career, though the margin over Brazil and Morocco is slim enough that a few results in November could reshuffle that part of the table.